Machine for tapping couplings.



G. M. SPENCER. MACHINE FOB. TAPPING COUPLINGS. APPLICATION FILED P33. 9,1912.

1,045,208, Patented Nov. 26, 1912. I 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. M. SPENCER. MACHINE FOR TAPPING COUPLINGS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1912 Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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MACHINE FOR TAPPING COUPLINGS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1912.

1,045,208, Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

f Q [/1]! W/IIIIIIIII To allwhom it may concern;

CHRISTOPHER M. SPENCER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICU.T,.'ASSIGNOR TO THE UNI-VERSAL MACHINE SCREW COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORA- TIONOF CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR TAPPING COlIJ'IPLIISIG rS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

Application filed February 9, 1912. Serial No. 676,615

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER M. SPENCER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Hartford; in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut,ha ve invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines forTapping Couplings, of which the following is a specification.-

This invention relates to a machine which is designed to tap threads inthe interior of hollow metal bodies.

The machine illustratedv as embodying the invention is particularlyadapted for threading couplings.

The object of the invention is to provide an automatic machine of thisclass which is very simple, accurate and rapid.

This machine has a magazine which receives and automatically presentsthe couplings one at a time in rapid succession to a clamp which is inalinement with the tap. The tap when fed to the work is connected with aspindle which is rotated continuously in one direction, and which feedsthe tap completely through the clamped coupling and then backs off,leaving the tap held by the coupling which it has threaded. After thespindle and tap are sufficiently separated to allow a threaded couplingwhich has been pushed along the tap by the succeeding couplings to bestripped off the shank' end, the tap'is forced back into engagement withthe spindle so as-to be again rotated and fed up for tapping thefollowing coupling that is clampedat the.\bottom of, the magazine.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a front elevation of themachine. Fig. 2 shows-an elevation of the right hand end of the machine.Fig. 3 shows a transverse section on the plane indicated by the dottedline 33 on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a transverse section on the planeindicated by the dotted line 4-4 on Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows an elevation ofthe left hand end of'the machine. Fig. 6 is a section on larger scaleshowing the spindle, thetap and the connected parts. Fig. 7 is a similarView Show ing the spindle and the tap in another position. Fig. 8 isa-'section showing the same parts in still-another relation. Fig. 9 is atransverse section on the plane indicated by the dotted line 9- 9 onFig. 6.

The machine is mounted on a suitable frame 1. Supported by the framebelow the top is a cam-shaft'2, bearing'a worm wheel 3.. This .wormwheel is engaged by a worm 4 on a shaft 5 that has a beveled gear '6which is in mesh with a beveled gear 7 on a'shaft 8. On this shaft,outside of the frame is a gear 9, and by the side of this gear is a gear10. The'latter gear and the pulley 11' are fixed on a hub that turns onthe shaft 8 to which the pulley 12 is'fixed.

(Fig. 1). The gear 9 engages a pinion 13 that is fastened to a gear 14which engages the gear 10. (Fig. 5). When the belt 15 is on the pulley12, the shaft is driven direct, and when the belt is on the pulley 11,'the shaft is driven at a relatively slowerspeed through the backgearing. On the cam shaft is a cam 16 which is arranged to engage a rod17 that'is connected with the belt shifter 18. (Fig. 1). By means ofthis mechanism, the belt isshifted from one pulley to the other forchanging the speed.

The driving belt in the machine illustrated runs over a pulley 19 thatis on a shaft hearing a gear 20, meshing with which is a pin-. ion 21onthe shaft of, the electric motor 22. At the side of the gear 20 is agear 23 which meshes with a gear 24 on the spindle rotating shaft 25.(Figsl, 5).

Mounted on top of the frame is a vertical magazine 26. The couplings tobe threaded are placed one above the other in this magazine. At, thebottom of the magazine there The tap spindle slide. 34 is moved back Iand forth upon the top of the frame by the engagement with the roll-35on the stud 36 of the cams 37 on the cam drum 38. (Figs. 1, 4). Theupper end of the bracket 39 on this slide carries a spindle 40 which isfreeto rotate in a bearing in the upper end of the bracket, but is movedlongitudinally with thebracket andfslide. This spindle is of-the spindleso that these parts will rotate together. One side of this tubular guideis the proper time.

cut away to permit the threaded couplings to drop out. Projecting intothe uide from the top is a spring 43 which is esigned to eject acoupling which has been freed from the tap shank. Projecting into theopening in the guide from the bottom is a spring 44 which is designed toinsure the stripping of the couplings from the shank of the tap atProjecting through the end of the spindle and into the'guide, is apin-45 which is yieldingly helddown by a spring 46 that is fastened tothe top of the guide. '(Figs..6, 7, 8).

, Theshank of the tap 47 projects into the guide beneath the pin45,'and'the end of the pinissha'ped to engage a socket 48 in the end ofthe tap shank for the purpose of j causing the'tap to rotate with thespindle.

Theend of the spring pressed connecting pin and the end ofthe tap shank,and the socket therein, are so shaped that when a separating pull issufliciently strong, the tap shank will be disengaged from the springpin'and spindle, and on the contrary when an engaging push issufficiently strong, these parts will be en aged and o erativelyconnected. When t e spindle slide is about to move forward for causingthe tap to thread the interior of a coupling, the parts are in theposition shown in Fig. 6. At this time 1 the end of the spring pinprojects into the socket in the end of the shank-of the tap so that thetap will be rotated by v the spindle. On the shank of the tap arecouplings 49 which have been threaded- These couplings support the tapand guide it toward the coupling 50 that is held by the clamp jaws atthe bottom of the magazine and is the next to be threaded. As theslidecarries the .tion shown 1n Fig. 7.

Instead of rotating the tap in the opposite direction for unscrewing itfrom the coupling or turning the couplin off from the tap, the last.coupling threa ed is held by the clamp'jaws until after the spindleslide has commenced to move back. As the last coupling threaded-is stillclamped and the .at the'bottom of the magazine releases the couplingwhich was last threaded. At this time the slide 51 is moved up by theengagement with the roll 52 on the stud 53, of the cams 54 on the camdrum 55. The upper end of the bracket 56 of this slide carries a rod 57.(Figs. 1, 2). These cams are so timed that after the separation of thespindle and tap has been great enough to permit the stripping from theend of the tap shank of a coupling, the pushing slide is moved so thatthe rod 57 engages the end, of the tap 'and'pushes the tap back into thespindle until its end is engaged by the spring pressed connecting pin'.The tap in this movement carries the coupling which it last threaded andis now released from the clamp jaws away from the magazine, and thenafter the tap pushing rod is returned, another coupling drops downbetween the clamp jaws in position'to bethreaded. a

o In this machine the tap spindle is always rotated 'in one direction,and this rotation may be at comparatively high speed. It is unnecessaryto reverse the tap for withdrawing it from the coupling, or to rotatethe coupling for the purpose of unscrewing it from the tap. The tap runscompletely through the couplings with one movement, and the couplingsare pushed along the tap shank until they are stripped off the end ofthe shank and thus escape from the machine.

As a result of this much time is saved and the spindle, a guidesurrounding the tap shank and having an opening sufiiciently large toreceive the bodies tapped, attached.

to the spindle, mechanism for causing the clamp to hold the bodies untilafter they are threaded and the tap shank has been separated from thespindle mechanism for returning the tap longitudlnally independently ofthe spindle, and mechanism for releasing the clamp and allowing the tapto carry away the tapped bodies on its shank when it, is returned.

2. A machine for threading the interior of hollow metal bodies, having amagazine for holding, thebodies, clamp jaws at the bottom of themagazine for holding the bodies to be threaded, a spindle, mechanism forcontinuously rotating the spindle in one direction, mechanism forfeeding and returning the spindle longitudinally, a tap for threadingthe bodies, means detachably connecting the shank of the tap and thespindle so that they will rotate and feed to thework to gether, but willseparate atthe end of the.

eed and permit'the independentreturn of the spindle, a guide surroundingthe tap shank and having an opening sufliciently large to receive thebodies tapped, attached to the spindle, mechanism for causing the jawsto clamp the bodies until after they are threaded and the tap shank isseparated from the spind1e,-mechanism for returning the taplongitudinally independently of the spindle, and mechanism for releasingthe jaws and allowing thetap to carry away the tapped "bodies on itsshank when itis returned.

3. A machine for threading the interior of hollow metal ,bodies, havinga clamp for holding the body to be threaded, a slide movable toward andfrom the clamp, mechanism for moving the slide, a spindle movablelongitudinally with the slide, mechanism for rotating the spindlecontinuously in. one direction, a guide carried by the spindle andslide, said guide having a discharge opening in one side, a tap forthread ing the body held by theclamp, the shank of said tap projecting.into said guide, means-carried by the spindle for connecting the tapshank with the spindle, said means being adapted to release the tapshank from the spindle and cause their separation when the spindle isheld,'and aslide adapted to move the tap and cause its shank to bereconnected with the spindle.

4. A machine for threading the interior of hollow metal bodies, having aclamp *for holding the bodies while they are being threaded, a spindle,mechanism -for rotating the spindle continuously in one direction,mechanism for feeding and returning the spindle longitudinally, aguidecarried bythe spindle, said guide having a discharge opening in oneside, a tap for threading the bodies held by the clamp,

means detachably connecting the shank of ing connecting the tap shankand the rotating mechanism while the tap is being advanced by theslideZthro-ugh the part to be threaded, means for causing the clamp tohold the partafter it is threaded until the slide has moved back andseparated the tap shank from the rotating mechanism, and mechanism formoving back thetap and threaded part and causing a re-connection of thetap shank with the mechanism for rotating the tap.

6'. A tapping machine having a spindle, mechanism for rotating thespindle continuously in one direction, mechanism for advancing andreturning the spindle, said spindle being hollow at one end and havingan opening through one side near that end, a tap with its shankextending into the hollow end of the spindle and detachably connectedtherewith, jaws clamping the work while it is being tapped and until thespindle has returned and caused a separation of the spindle and tapshank, and

mechanism for returning the tap with the part-that has been tapped onits shank and causing a reengagement of the tap shank and the spindle.

7. A tapping machine having a tap, mechanism for rotating the tap andfeeding it up to the work, mechanism for holding the work While it isbeing tapped and causing the tap to be separated from its rotatmeans,mechanism for releasing the work after the tap has been separated fromits rotating means, and mechanism for re-' turning the tap with thethreaded part on its shank, whereby the tap is restrained by the workand caused to be separated from its rotating and feeding means, and thework is passed along and ejected from the shank of the tap when it'isseparated from its rotating means.

CHRISTOPHER M. SPENCER.

Witnesses:

JOSEPHINE M. STREMPFER, HARRY R. WILLIAMS.

